Which banks will offer the Help to Buy Isa? Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide, NatWest, Santander and Virgin Money July 25, 2015 Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide, Natwest, Santander and Virgin Money are among the banks and building societies which will offer the government's widely anticipated Help to Buy Isa. Help to Buy Isas, unveiled by chancellor George Osborne in his Spring budget, aim to give first-time buyers a much needed helping hand onto the property ladder. [...]
The housing market was buoyed by mortgage momentum on the eve of the EU referendum July 21, 2016 Mortgage lending rocketed to an eight-year high before last month's EU referendum as the housing market showed few signs of pre-vote jitters Figures released by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) showed £20.7bn was dished out to homebuyers and re-mortgagers in June – 16 per cent more than in May. The figure was an eight-year [...]
Buy-to-let tax change: Why is business-friendly George Osborne punishing landlords and renting business? September 25, 2015 The majority of landlords put their faith in the Conservative Party in May believing the Tories had a better understanding of private renting than the other parties. So when the chancellor announced restrictions on the tax relief on buy to let mortgages, it came as a shock, with many feeling betrayed. The government claims the [...]
Are fears about the UK commercial property market overblown? September 14, 2016 As Columbia Threadneedle Investments prepares to join Aberdeen Asset Management and Canada Life in re-opening its £1.4bn property fund, doubts persist over the future of the UK’s commercial property market. The Brexit vote brought three years of double-digit returns from UK property investments to a juddering halt. By early July, panicked investors clamouring to withdraw their [...]
We profile five young developers that are shaking up the UK property industry February 25, 2016 The free-thinking “millennial generation” could be our most entrepreneurial age group. Having pushed the boundaries of communications and technology, many are now challenging traditional businesses, including property development, and are making a significant mark. They may be young, but the self confidence and business sense of the five developers profiled here has helped them deliver [...]
Last remains of failed unicorn Powa Techologies to be sold this week April 19, 2016 Powa Technologies, one of the UK's first "unicorn" billion dollar startups, has found a buyer for the remaining part of its business after collapsing into administration earlier this year. Administrator Deloitte has found an as yet unnamed buyer for PowaPOS, the last of its three businesses, and is expected to finalise a deal by the end of [...]
Shared Ownership Week: So what is it anyway? October 5, 2015 Like the sound of Shared Ownership, but not sure how it works? Katie Bond, director of housing association Notting Hill Home Ownership (NHHO), is here to set the record straight for Shared Ownership Week (5-11 October). What is a Shared Ownership scheme and who is it meant to help? Shared Ownership is where you [...]
Suburbs lag behind inner London boroughs in housebuilding drive November 13, 2015 Inner London boroughs are granting planning permission for more new homes than the all of the surrounding outer boroughs put together, according to a new report that warns of a growing prosperity divide within the capital. Stirling Ackroyd’s latest New Homes Monitor showed London’s thirteen Inner boroughs approved a total of 11,970 new homes throughout [...]
How SoftBank won “national interest” backing from Theresa May for its “game-changing” Arm takeover November 7, 2016 Even the most devout follower of the London Stock Exchange’s RNS feed may have been confused by a statement issued by SoftBank last week. The Japanese lender published the number of staff employed by British tech giant Arm, a company it acquired in a £24bn mega-deal over the summer, as at 5 September. The figure, [...]
Conservatives: 20pc off house prices for first-time buyers under 40 September 27, 2014 The conservatives have announced that if they are voted in at the next general election in May, people under 40 will be able to buy their first homes for 20 per cent less than market value. Prime Minister David Cameron revealed the plan ahead of the Conservatives' annual party conference starting tomorrow. He said [...]